1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electrical connector for electrically connecting an exterior electrical apparatus to a mother board, and particularly to an electrical connector having a board retention means which is convenient to be assembled with the connector and provides a reliable retention with respect to either of the mother board and an insulative housing.
2. The Prior Art
Generally, most electrical connectors for electrically connecting an exterior electrical apparatus to a mother board, are deposited with a variety of board retention means. Such board retention means are mainly adapted to enhance the retention between the connector and the mother board. And the board retention means of the conventional electrical connector generally consists of at least a receiving portion formed on an insulative housing, and a separate board lock including a portion thereof which can be assembled within said receiving portion, and the other portion therein which is adapted to retentively cooperate with an associated aperture in the mother board.
However, some disadvantages exist in the board retention means of these conventional electrical connectors and are necessary to be solved. For example, a board lock (6) as shown in FIG. 1 must be fabricated through some complicated steps which include lathe turning, drilling, milling cutting and threading. Therefore, it usually causes that the manufacturing costs thereof are very high, and the failing products thereof are very large. In addition, the retentive efficancy of some legs (60) of such board lock (6) with regard to the mother board is bad due to a poor elasticity thereof.
Furthermore, another plate-like board lock (7) as shown in FIG. 2, is fabricated by stamping process. Thus its manufacturing process is more simple and its manufacturing cost is lower than those of said board lock (6) as shown in FIG. 1. But it is noted that the retentive efficancy of two legs (70, 71) of such board lock (7) with regard to the mother board (not shown) is still unstable by only a lateral shoulder of each leg, and the retention between the board lock (7) and the insulative housing (not shown) is also bad so that both may be easily separated. The legs (70, 71) as being a blade-like structure may easily scrape a border of the corresponding aperture of the mother board when the board lock (7) is inserted/withdrawn with regard to the mother board.
Accordingly, for resolving the above disadvantages, an object of the invention is to provide an improved electrical connector with a board retention means which includes an orienting portion and a retention portion whereby said board retention means is not only configured with a simple structure having lower manufacturing cost, but also is convenient to be assembled with the connector and provides a reliable retention with respect to the mother board and an insulative housing of the connector.